


Tangles and Tenderness

by xxenjoy



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Hair Braiding, Hair Washing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29501316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxenjoy/pseuds/xxenjoy
Summary: When Geralt's hair gets tangled, Jaskier takes it upon himself to tidy it up.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 7
Kudos: 139





	Tangles and Tenderness

They’re at the side of the river and Jaskier is, as usual, fussing over Geralt’s appearance. They’ve been travelling for days, so it’s hardly his fault that he has tangles in his hair, but Jaskier seems to take it as a personal offence. So he sits him down and shuffles up behind him, gently removing the leather tie and setting it on the grass next to them.

Geralt knows better than to argue about it by now, and if he’s honest, he likes it when Jaskier fusses over him like this - not that he would ever _ask_ for it. He shuts his eyes as Jaskier gets to work, listening to the sounds of the river and the birds chirping in the trees nearby, focusing on the press of Jaskier’s fingers against his head.

He’s always so gentle when he does this. Geralt has been tugged at and prodded by many a servant in preparation for audiences with royalty and never once did any of them use the kind of care that Jaskier does. He picks the bits out, holding Geralt’s hair to ensure it doesn’t tug too hard and making a small pile of twigs and leaves next to them that Geralt carefully does not acknowledge.

Once he’s apparently happy with that, Jaskier pulls away and makes a disappointed sound.

“Something wrong?”

“I’d like to wash it,” he mutters, “but I don’t want you getting all wet.”

“There’s a bowl in your pack,” Geralt reminds him and he can’t see Jaskier, but he can feel the way he brightens at that.

“Perfect. Wait right here darling, I’ll only be a moment.”

Jaskier hums as he gets up and crosses to where their things are leaning against a rock. Geralt hears the splash of water and smiles to himself as Jaskier’s footsteps return. He settles back behind Geralt, guiding him to lean back a little and tips the bowl over his head a little at a time before adding soap to the equation.

Geralt’s lips twitch again. It’s his favourite, a mild scent that doesn’t strain his senses but still manages to block out some of the worse scents around him. Jaskier works it into his hair carefully, dull nails scraping against his scalp, and Geralt has to hold back a sigh of pleasure, lest Jaskier get too smug about it. When he’s satisfactorily soapy, Jaskier returns to the river to collect more water.

Rinsing Geralt’s hair creates more of a mess than anticipated, so once he’s soap-free again, Jaskier relocates them to the other side of a group of rocks. He settles them again and pulls out a spare bit of cloth and his oils, picking through them to find the ones Geralt prefers. He dries Geralt’s hair as well as he can, always careful not to pull too roughly.

The oils Geralt doesn’t like as much as the soap, but they smell like Jaskier and when he catches a whiff of them while travelling, the scent is comforting so he puts up with them. He likes the thought of smelling like Jaskier, the idea that someone might recognize the scent on him. He has no hold on Jaskier, but he likes the idea of being associated with him, even in such a small way.

Jaskier shuffles closer and as he lifts his hair, Geralt can feel his breath on the back of his neck, soft little puffs of warmth as Jaskier focuses in on his task. He works the oil all the way through his hair and normally when he would finish and tie Geralt’s hair back up, he pauses.

“Can I try something?” he asks and Geralt isn’t quite ready for him to stop, so he nods. He can hear Jaskier’s delight in the way he hums and leans in closer.

He runs his fingers through Geralt’s hair a few times, combing out the last of the tangles and Geralt’s breath comes out shaky. It’s a simple pleasure, but one he rarely gets to experience, to have Jaskier touch him like this. Though he doubts Jaskier would ever deny him were he to ask.

When he stops, Geralt almost turns to ask why, but then Jaskier’s fingers slip toward his forehead, separating his hair and pulling a section up like he normally would to tie it. Geralt frowns, unsure of what is different about this, but he supposes it’s best to let Jaskier work. He stops thinking about it, focusing instead on the press of Jaskier’s thighs around his hips, the way his fingers bump against his scalp as he works.

He works for some time, huffing when something won’t work quite right, but eventually, he draws back. Jaskier is silent for a moment, inspecting his work before he clambers to his feet and comes around to pull Geralt up. He leads him to the river’s edge, gesturing for him to look at his reflection in the surface.

“What do you think?” he asks and Geralt senses the faintest hint of anxiousness as he comes to stand next to him.

His hair is drawn back as usual, though when he runs a hand over it, a thick braid lays down the back of his head, two more on either side tucked behind his ears. It’s… different, but he doesn’t dislike it. It’s soft, maybe too soft for a Witcher, but he suspects that was the point of it.

“It’s lovely,” he says and he’s not entirely certain his hair is lovely, but Jaskier’s work certainly is.

Jaskier beams at him and he looks so proud Geralt would say anything to keep him smiling like that. He turns to thank him, but Jaskier reaches up to smooth down a bit of loose hair and his breath catches. Geralt stops, reaching out to catch his wrist.

He leans in slowly until he can feel Jaskier’s breath against his mouth and he pushes forward, only just letting his lips brush against Jaskier’s. Jaskier freezes under him and for a moment, Geralt thinks he’s misunderstood a great many things, but when he draws back, Jaskier is smiling at him.

“You’re very welcome,” he grins and in an instant, he’s got one hand around the back of Geralt’s neck, pulling him into a deeper kiss.


End file.
